This time of the year in Kuwait is the best season for planting and growing vegetables and ornamental plants, both indoors and outside. The government provides land for those who want to grow vegetables both in Wafra and Abdally. Many Kuwaitis have utilized this opportunity and have been maintaining and tilling lands for many years, producing vegetables for their own use and for commercial purposes.

But growing veggies and other flowering plants in Kuwait needs special attention, as Kuwait's soil doesn't suit many plants, because it cannot hold or sustain the needed water. Moreover, soil in many parts of Kuwait is lacking in nutrients, Dr Dalal Al-Khazemi, Assistant Professor at the College of Food Science and Nutrition, told Kuwait Times.

Khazemi maintains a garden in her backyard at home in Kuwait City. "I like growing edible vegetables in an organic or natural environment. I don't like greenhouses because they are not natural at all," she said. "In Kuwait, you can grow almost everything as long as you have the knowhow or knowledge to treat the soil or prepare it for planting," she said.

Khazemi shares her gardening techniques through Instagram. "Coming from a country like Kuwait, I never had any background in gardening. But being with the soil makes me feel happy and better, so I started planting vegetables. When I have free time, I go to my backyard and plant something. I have tomatoes, peppers, berries, kale, watermelon etc. I also have a flowering garden," she said.

Environment

Khazemi got her master's and doctorate degrees in Canada after graduating with a degree in nutrition in the United States. "When I was in Canada, I was involved in population surveys, and I learned a lot from it. I started relating everything to Kuwait, the environment and the way we live. How we have to be connected with the environment and how we could use our natural environment for our benefit. I learned a lot about diets by studying many bio-markets. In Canada, they stressed a lot to individuals on how they can make use of every space available. There, people care about what they eat and the government is involved in how they lead their lifestyles," she mentioned.

"When I returned to Kuwait, I started talking about nutrition and shared my thoughts on these issues. I used social media to reach out to people when I was still in Canada," Khazemi stated. Her love for gardening started in Canada, as she was fascinated by gardening and growing vegetables because everything there looked green and cool. "My fascination with plants started in Kuwait when I was in elementary school. I always wanted to plant something - I volunteered and participated in tree planting projects, but my passion for planting and growing veggies started in Canada. I had a big piece of land there as my garden, so I utilized it. Wherever I have time, you'll see me in my garden," she said.

Hobby

"When I came back from studies in Canada, I felt I was missing something. So I asked my husband to help me in cultivating the big plot of land at our place in Kuwait. My husband and I talked about how we could make use of the land. He said we should only plant something that we could eventually eat. So we experimented with edible plants in my garden. My husband and I would read many articles about organic gardening, and he had some experience in agricultural techniques like grafting and so on. Gardening has become a hobby for him too - it's not something we studied formally, although we took some short courses, seminars and workshops," she explained.

Her husband started digging up the backyard. "My husband treated the soil and replaced it with organic soil. He replaced the sandy soil with manure and compost. The sandy soil cannot hold water and maintain moisture, so the result will be bad if you will not do something. We changed the soil so we could grow plants; and we can grow some pumpkins and watermelons even in summer. September and October is the right time to prepare the soil for many edible veggies, so expect abundant tomatoes, cucumber, kale and the likes in these cooler months, ready to harvest by December, January, February and March. We have space and we have knowhow so we could get something from our backyard. Now we are sharing the techniques through Instagram," she said.

Preparing the soil:

Step 1

Before planting the bed, prepare the soil by digging at least 8-12 inches and turning over shovelfuls to loosen and aerate it. Add in organic matter, such as compost or manure. The more organic matter you mix in, the better. Then run lines of string to establish a grid. The grid will help you position young plants at the proper distance from one another.

Step 2

Gently remove the seedling from its container, then grasp the leaves to guide it while supporting the root ball. Set the plant in the hole at the same depth at which it was growing in its container. Firm the soil gently over the roots around the stem. This will help put the roots in contact with the soil. Make evenly spaced depressions in the soil with your finger if you are planting seeds. Be sure to follow the recommendations on the seed packet to know how deep to make the depressions.

Step 3

Water well. For transplants, apply a gentle shower using a watering can or hose-end sprayer. For seeds, use the lightest setting on a hose-end sprayer to avoid disturbing the soil.

By Ben Garcia